Commencing today, the planned 5-day anti-polio campaign in Tank, Lakki Marwat, and DI Khan faced an unfortunate delay due to the abduction of polio workers.
The workers, tasked with transporting supplies for the campaign, were kidnapped along with the essential provisions yesterday evening, leading to an indefinite postponement of the initiative.
Special Secretary of Health and Polio Program Coordinator, Abdul Basit, reported the release of the abducted polio workers today. However, the anti-polio vaccine remains in the possession of unidentified individuals and has not yet been recovered. The originally scheduled 5-day campaign in Tank, DI Khan, and Lakki Marwat, which had completed all preparations, had to be deferred due to the compromised security situation.
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Abdul Basit highlighted that the decision to delay the campaign was influenced by security concerns and heavy fog, with the district administration advising against initiating the campaign under such risky conditions.
Detailing a tragic incident in Tank, Abdul Basit explained that the polio team and vaccine were abducted from the Beeng area yesterday. While all arrangements for the campaign were in place today, the unfortunate kidnapping led to the necessary postponement.
Despite the release of the workers, Abdul Basit acknowledged that recovery efforts for the vaccine were ongoing, expressing optimism about its eventual retrieval. He stated that the campaign in DI Khan is rescheduled for January 22, but in the other two districts, it remains indefinitely postponed.
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18 Apr, 2025
